Handmade Treasures for Babies

Throwing unforgettable baby showers is easy when you have grateful moms-to-be as your inspiration.  Both my kids and their spouses will soon be first time parents.  At two sweet baby showers, family and friends generously provided much needed practical gear so that they will have everything they need for their anticipated bundles of joy!

We welcomed baby Carson with a Safari shower and created pineapple centerpieces by glueing small gold balls of aluminum foil to champagne bottles with green tissue paper for the crown.  They really turned out great!  (Check out the picture!)  Guests used the champagne to mix with orange juice and cranberry juice for mimosas.  Weeks before my DIL’s shower, we gathered at her parents’ house to create the pineapples along with chains of construction paper for a backdrop.  My daughter-in-law fell in love with a giraffe cake she found online, so we took the picture to a local bakery and they were able to duplicate it!  It was adorable.  It always pays to price out various businesses.  One bakery we priced was hundreds of dollars more (not kidding) than the yummy bakery we chose right in their hometown, “Cathy’s Sweet Creations.”  

To welcome my daughter and son-in-law’s baby, we went with an airplane theme since my SIL is a private pilot.  We covered balloons with tulle tied with a bow and built small wooden airplanes that were nestled on top of clouds for centerpieces.  Alongside each centerpiece was a children’s book about planes, airports and travel.  I used my new found canning skills to create 60 small jars of Cinnamon Vanilla Pear Butter for each guest to take home.  (I still can’t believe I did that!)  Instead of a cake, we served cream filled cupcakes from my daughter’s favorite bakery, “Lovin’ Oven.”  

The decorations for the precious baby showers weren't the only treasures that were handmade.  As soon as we were told about the pregnancies, I decided that I would channel my mother and sew a baby quilt for each grand baby.  Believe me, my sewing skills were limited to hems and bean bags.  I signed up for a couple of sewing classes at my local fabric store and between that and YouTube, I was able to produce two adorable handmade quilts reflective of their nursery themes, Safari and Airplanes.  Additionally, my daughter requested a handmade paper airplane crib mobile.  Yikes!  With the help of ideas from Pinterest and Etsy, I successfully put together a cute little paper airplane mobile.  Here’s what I did:

• Ordered a musical mobile without ornaments from Amazon.
• Found an airplane template online and used it to cut out the airplanes from navy blue, light blue and gray card stock.  
• Assembled the airplanes.
• Created 3-D Clouds (Thanks YouTube)
• Using the leftover fabric from the baby quilt, I sewed sleeves to cover the arms of the mobile.
• Balanced and hung the ornaments (clouds and planes) on the mobile using navy and white cord.  
• Done!!  

There is nothing like gifts for your grand babies that are handmade with love! 

A New Discovery

What a difference a new bike makes!  I traded in my old Schwinn for a Diamondback Clarity and took it on a Maiden Voyage to beautiful Lake Katherine.  Illinois is having an absolutely beautiful Indian summer and we thought it would be great to get in at least one more bike ride while taking in some leaf peeping along the Cal-Sag Trail.  

My biking buddy, Kathy, and I decided we would bike from the far west end of the trail and travel 10 miles east to Lake Katherine and 10 miles back for a total of 20 miles.  It was a perfect ride for a couple of average riders like us.  Along the trail, we saw such colorful red, orange and yellow trees.  Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens was a gorgeous stop with it’s beautiful flowers and waterfall.  The nature center features a menagerie of reptiles and animals as well as high powered binoculars - a great place to take your kids or grandkids while bike riding.  The Little Free Library allows visitors to borrow a book to read while sitting near the peaceful lake.  Found around the lake is a mile loop walk, trails for hiking, canoes and kayaks for boating and beautiful plants and flowers for those of us with a passion for photography or painting.  What a great place to add to my list of activities worth repeating! 

If you are shopping for a new bicycle, I would suggest purchasing from a bike shop instead of a sports or department store.  A lot of times you can get pretty good deals in January after Christmas and before the new models come out in February, although I found mine on clearance in November.  Additionally, employees at a bicycle shop are trained to fit you with a bike that is perfect for your needs as well as your size.   What sold me on the Diamondback Clarity were the disc brakes and trigger shifters.  It’s also really light which is beneficial when lifting the bike onto the bike rack.  

You don’t have to log in thousands of miles to benefit from bike riding.  You get the same cardiovascular benefit you would get from any other aerobic activity like walking, jogging, dancing, etc.   Your muscles get a boost, especially your legs and hips, and it’s gentle on your joints.  One of the best benefits of bike riding is stress reduction.  Once you retire, it does take a while to retrain your mind and body to release all of the stress that has been building up for so long.  You will discover that bike riding makes you feel relaxed and promotes great sleep.  There’s nothing like exercising in the fresh air while taking in nature’s beauty.